Kidnap girls: It is unacceptable

Nettled with the recent abduction of 230 Government Secondary School girls in Chibok, Borno state by the Boko Haram Militants, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Women and Youths Development, Senator Helen Esuene in an interview with some newsmen, has called for a beef up of the Country’s Security System. Excerpts:  

What is your thinking on the kidnap of the 230 Government Secondary School Girls in Chibok, Borno state?

It is very unfortunate that a thing like this should happen in our country even though we have been experiencing insurgency for some months now, to take it to this level is really not acceptable to anybody. A whole generation of girls from one community that have been carted away is very sad. The general populace including myself is not happy with the response from the authorities, from the governor of the state to the security operatives, the issue was kept quiet for too long, nobody told us anything and we did not know the modus operandi. Even up till now the exact number of the children is fluctuating between one number and the other. I just feel that security operatives could have handled more swiftly than what it did. I know obviously they have their own challenges because operating in an area like that cannot be very easy and Boko Haram you cannot identify them.

It is sad that they could do that and get away with it. We are not talking of 5 to 10 people but 100 and more. It is very sad. It shouldn’t happen. But the question is where do we go from here? While the security operatives are trying to bring them back, I think every Nigerian should be more security conscious. Definitely it cannot be business as usual the way things are. Even in those states that have not witnessed insurgency, we cannot rest on our oars. It is better for them to err on the side of caution than to make a grievous mistake. So all hands must be on deck, to ensure that all the wicked ones are frustrated out.

Our borders are porous, what do you think should be done?
That also brings to mind our porous borders. It is so easy for people in the neighbouring countries to come in because they speak the same language like our brothers. They don’t have any communication hindrances. Immediately they speak the same language that it is. We need to think on how to protect our borders a little bit more. Even though it is a desert area, but a journey of a thousand mile begins with a step. If we start now to start to think on how to secure our borders physically and we do it a little every year  even if it will take us 50 years we would have done a good job.

I agree there should be a law to ensure we secure modern equipment to combat this kind of insurgency in our borders. With modern satellite coverage, it can pick movement and that will definitely help. What is happening is not insufficient laws but we just need to put in place definite structures to checkmate the bad eggs.

Do you support the intervention of America, Britain and others?
Well I take it with pinch of salt because when you know what has happened in other countries before now, one just prays that ours does not get to that extent. I would have been much more comfortable with us dealing with our own issues but it is obvious that we cannot because it is about two years the bombing started, instead of reducing, they increase and every day they are becoming even more and more assertive and confident. We cannot refuse help but at the same time we have to really define the sort of help that they are giving to us. Our intelligence should equally be defined because intelligence is the backbone of every security situation. It tells you what to do and not to do in every situation.

We need to get modern equipment and from the lay man point of view, I think intelligence is both the civilian and military intelligence and I think they are doing well. Take for instance the kidnapping that used to take place in Akwa Ibom state, basically it was won through very good intelligence network. Today we can say that that menace has been greatly reduced and we have to commend our state governor Chief Godswill Akpabio for that effort. It is kudos to him that he was able to do that. It was like a master stroke. Remember there was a time people could hardly leave their homes. It was as bad as that but now people move more freely. I really commend him and his men.

State of is the state of the proposed Amendment on the Child Right Law?
Actually it was a bill amending the existing Child Right Act and it was to favour displaced children in times of national strife; because we observed that there was nothing in the existing law to address that issue. So after we came back from the inter parliamentary early this year it was necessary for me to look at the act again and put in some clauses that will address the issue unaccompanied or distressed children during strife.

The bill has only just gone through first reading. You know since we resumed this year, it has been one heated issue or the order. We had constitution review that took quite some time then budget and now this issue of the abduction. When things like that happen, it takes quite a bit of time as normal issues are put at bay for a while. But I am hoping that it will come up very soon for a second reading.

Any message for Women and the men?
Well my message to women in particular is that whatever the men do we should realize that we are women and more vulnerable in all situation of strife. One if your children are all killed and if you strike menopause you cannot have any child again but the man can, even up to 60 or 70 years old. But a woman cannot and you don’t breed children to lose them. The stress of carrying a child for nine months and nurturing that child to adolescent and adulthood is no mean thing. So we as women, we should remember that we are home builders and whatever our men want to do and we know will lead to strife we should be courageous enough to speak out clearly. Sometimes a husband or brother just need that chastisement for him to wake up and say I am trading on dangerous ground but if we keep quiet, then by the time the whole thing escalate and blossom, we are the losers.

When I talk of a woman as a home builder, I mean woman stands for peace whether she is illiterate or she is educated or a professional, she always stands for peace. That is her make up. It has absolutely nothing to do on how she comports herself or how she is in life. Wherever you find a woman she is the one that will say lets not fight and that is her nature and that is why we have to be available in all segment of the society. When we talk about this 35 percent affirmative action, it goes beyond just mere sentiment. Some people see it as sentiment but it is not. It is a necessity because you need that other view point and the society as whole needs it. There are little things like in a building that a man will never see but a woman will see it. So in all aspect of life it is like that. So the two viewpoints are very necessary to have a stable society and you need a woman.

Then to our men I just want to appeal, whatever issues they may be, dialogue is still the best because after fighting for a long time, you still have to come to the round table to sit down and talk. So let us make that our first choice because if you fight destroy property and life, create so much disharmony within the system pays no good. Even if you say this country should divide, sit down and talk about it but I know this country will not divide because I believe it was the will of God that we should be merged together. Yes none of us was there to say we want to merge or not but we have come a 100 years and I think Nigeria can only get better.

There are issues that need to be addressed but we can do that if we sit down and talk about it. That is why I am in full support of the national conference that is going on. Some people say it is a waste of time, I don’t think so because by the time you sit down together and scream at one another trying to articulate positions, you come out of it more knowledgeable of the situation but if you don’t do that you are just carrying your own views alone and you will think that your views are better until you hear the other person talking about his. I believe that Nigeria will come out of this after the national conference better, stronger and more tolerant.